The Mechanic wrote:IHowever, I would like to point out that I am a cyclist, have 5 bikes and also drive a 4x4, and it is a BMW! What does that make me? A murdering mania one minute and a complaining cyclist the next?

Yep Especially if you ask the cyclopath lobby !

More seriously, I think this may have di to with the extra width of an SUV and people who drive them only part time, and something narrower at other times.

Even a big Merc S Class is a good foot narrower than a Range Rover, so if the driver places themselves in the same position on the road you can see the problem.

My most expensive road accident was when I pulled out of a space concentrating on the traffic, not the Saab parked in front, in a Fiat Multipla immediately after having driven a small hatchback. The overlap was about 9 inches and it cost about 7k. Never again.

wirral_cyclist wrote:Chiz wrote:The Tyne Pedestrian and Cyclist Tunnel is still closed unfortunately. The firm that was carrying out the work has gone bust, speaking to the tunnel operator (TT2 Limited), they reckon another twelve months based on getting another firm in straight away but that's not likely as the local authority have ran out of money for the refurb.

It's been an absolute farce since the start.

Oh I'm so glad you posted this! I was planning a mini tour to include the tunnels this summer, it means I can concentrate on some of the other stuff on the 'must do' list instead.

I'm not sure exactly which off road route you are intending to use near Newton Stewart but last year I rode the CTC "Big Country" ride which loops around Newton Stewart and Glentrool. It's a circular ride of 58k and is well worth riding but I would recommend not using a road or touring bike. When I rode it last year there were quite a few sections where the FC had laid down hardcore and anything other than an mtb would struggle. There are also plenty of sections of rough fire road so I would suggest that yoiu have a look at the 7 Stanes website for Glentrool and clarify if your proposed route uses the "Big Country" loop

Hi,Slightly off topic but has anyone tried to fly Norwegian with a packed bike as hold luggage? Mine comes in at 19.5kg in a BikeBoxAlan which meets the dimensions requirements for hold luggage. However I don't know whether to book it as a bike as I don't want to get stung at the airport. Any advice appreciated?

Unless they have spent loads of money (which I doubt) take as durable and comfortable tyre as you can manage, as when I was there two years ago even some of the main A roads (classed as Trunk roads) were like ploughed fields, many minor roads were almost unridable on a road bike. I contacted the council upon my return, and was told thay had had a hard winter - but this was August, so plenty of time to fix the issues if they had a mind to.

The 29ers are significantly faster up and down the mountain compared to my old 26" bikes, and the idea they are somehow less 'agile' or 'nimble' is just plain nonsense. I would not contemplate going back to a 26" wheeled bike.

The good news for the 26" dinosaurs is that they can now pick up loads of high-end 26" kit cheap as chips as the serious riders move to 27.5 and 29.

My mate uses one of those Caxton cards and swears by it. He is pretty financially savvy so I reckon it is a good bet.

However, a lot of points have been raised and here are a few of my thoughts. I always think it is worth working out your money arrangements well in advance, it can save you up to 10% of your holiday costs.

The just take cash: that will probably be got from somewhere like Post Office at bad rate. Also taking £s and changing abroad can be expensive (Although in places like Thailand it can be the cheapest).

Use current a/c bank debit card: check the charges, some are great, some are awful.

Withdrawing small amounts can be much more expensive, again, check.

There may be a local charge on top of your own bank's charges.

Its MasterCard: this is OK in Europe, but can cause problems in other countries eg Japan and Cuba. Always check which is accepted Visa or M'card.

I am sure everywhere, including hotels wil accept cash at point of sale. Obviously you will need a card if doing anything on the internet. Is the Caxton OK for that?

You dont want a credit card. Unfortunately the credit rating agencies like to see credit worthiness. No card shows no history and can result in you having problems. Martin Lewis wil tell all.

That route from the B796 is a pretty rough track. I was thinking about it last year but decided against it when I saw it. You might be able to manage it on 32mm tyres but it definitely looks more suited to a mountain bike. However, continuing along the road to Creetown is a cracking cycle with superb views and probably much better than the track which is mainly through forest. There is a cycle path from Creetown to Newton Stewart which is reasonable quality so I would definitely go that way rather than up to Clatteringshaws.

It's a lovely area to cycle and there are loads of quiet roads so I wouldn't bother with off-road tracks. Most of the main roads are ok to cycle on too, except the a75 which is busy. I would largely ignore the Sustrans maps and make up your own route.

These days i usually only take enough currency to cover a couple of days then find an ATM when i need to top up the funds, using the card to pay for accomodation etc where possible. I do take an emergency fund of 100 euros in my bike safe (stem) but i try not to carry too much cash to reduce any potential loss.

psmiffy wrote:typically I tour with enough local cash to last me (about €200) a week plus a reserve fund of about €200 which is stashed separately (ive never really worked out a decent place for the stash) and top it up from a cashpoint when I get down to half of thatI do the same. For a safe place for the reserve I have considered inside the handlebars, but I've never got around to doing it - yet. I've been looking at prepaid cards for a couple of years and have not taken one because on a debit or credit card I would probably have access to enough cash or credit to get home from anywhere, whereas if I just have a prepaid card I might not. So I'd have to have a debit/credit card anyway so why bother with a prepaid card as well?

No, nothing to do with a fashion house....Thinking of planning a route in Dumfries & Galloway, and the Sustrans map shows some off-road bits of National Cycle Route near Newton Stewart, and an interesting looking route up from the B796 past Loch Grannoch to Clatteringshaws loch along the "Raiders Road".I did find reference in this forum to the bits near Newton Stewart being forestry tracks and OK for touring bike tyres; but these references are a few years old. Any more recent experience out there?The route past Loch Grannoch seems as if it might be more MTB than tourer. Opinions? I don't enjoy having my teeth rattled all day.If I do go, I'll be on a Galaxy with 32mm tyres.

The only time ive ever carried significant wads of cash was on tour in New Zealand years ago when I was warned in advance that cashpoints were a) often quite far apart b) didnt deal well with UK accounts

The only problems I had were a) having to tumble dry $750NZ $500US and £1000UK after stopping for coffee by the roadside and forgetting to put wallet back in dry place (only internaly packed that wet) b) same evening being very tired left wallet on bar top after paying for meal - out of bed before bar shut and wallet returned - but generally:

having lots of cash is not a good idea - typically I tour with enough local cash to last me (about €200) a week plus a reserve fund of about €200 which is stashed separately (ive never really worked out a decent place for the stash) and top it up from a cashpoint when I get down to half of that (depending on where you are cashpoints can be a bit fickle either compatibility or getting a connection) - depending on proximity of borders and potential different currencies.

I like the idea of the top up cards - maybe get one to stash in my shoe with the SD card with all my scans of my personnel documents and carry a smaller reserve

Chiz wrote:The Tyne Pedestrian and Cyclist Tunnel is still closed unfortunately. The firm that was carrying out the work has gone bust, speaking to the tunnel operator (TT2 Limited), they reckon another twelve months based on getting another firm in straight away but that's not likely as the local authority have ran out of money for the refurb.

It's been an absolute farce since the start.

Oh I'm so glad you posted this! I was planning a mini tour to include the tunnels this summer, it means I can concentrate on some of the other stuff on the 'must do' list instead.

Vorpal wrote:I haven't tried Stavanger, but most tourist information offices have a stock of cycle maps and information, even if the people working there are clueless.

However, I have often gotten better information from the Den Norske Turistforeningen https://www.dnt.no/ which has shops or offices in most cities. They also have camping cabins that members can use in some places. Many Norwegians consider them a good alternative. It may be easiest to contact them by email.

Other than in Stavanger and Bergen, we've found the tourist offices to be useful - I think it is just a problem in the big busy cities. Bergen had no cycle maps or info last August (they claimed to have run out).The DNT (in Oslo at least) is very helpful. We use their cabins in the mountain areas - but they don't have cabins near the coastal cycle route so his would only be an option if you head inland, and many/most of their cabins are far from any tarmac.